A military intervention in Syria without a UN mandate would be a grave violation of international law, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday, dpa reported.
"Using force without UN Security Council backing is a blatant violation of international law that will only worsen the situation on the ground," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.
Russia would not allow itself be drawn into a fight, he said.
"Look at our position over the last years", he said, referring to Libya, Yugoslavia and Iraq, where Moscow did not offer a directly military response.